


Knight's Promise

by deaththerabbit



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fantasy AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 12:18:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deaththerabbit/pseuds/deaththerabbit
Summary: Childhood friends, Izumi and Tsukasa have been separated for many years, with the promise of reuniting. Will they ever manage it?





	Knight's Promise

**Author's Note:**

> This one kinda connects a bit with the KaoKoga fic I wrote a while back!

_The leaves were just beginning to fall in a gentle rain of red and gold when it came time for Tsukasa to leave. It would be a long and arduous journey to the lands far to the west and it was imperative that he and all the others made it to their training facility before the first frost hit._

_Short legs with much growing left to do carried Tsukasa up the hill that had become a meeting spot for him and his closest friend, Izumi._

_Izumi was already there, waiting for him. He was seated under a tall oak tree, staring off in the horizon at sunset. His hands were curled around a small parcel, wrapped poorly but lovingly._

_“Sena-senpaiiiiiii!” Tsukasa called out, raising his hand up in greeting. A soft, childish smile graced his chubby face, soon to be wiped away when it came time to say goodbye._

_Izumi leapt to his feet and spun around, blue eyes widening just slightly. “Kasa-kun!”_

_“Sorry I’m late! I had to find something.” Tsukasa replied, wrapping his arms around the taller boy and pressing his cheek against his shoulder._

_“Ahh, just don’t be late again.” Izumi returned the hug, knowing full well, despite only being seven, that they may never meet again in this lifetime._

_This world was a cruel one, and Tsukasa was throwing himself full-force into it. It wasn’t as if Izumi weren’t doing the same thing, but he at least was staying home, where he could protect those he cared about most. Tsukasa, on the other hand, was throwing himself to the wolves. He would be training as a knight in a far-off land and used as a spy until the current dispute between their country and the one far to the west was resolved._

_“I won’t! I’ll be here on time next time.” Tsukasa looked up at Izumi and forced a smile. “I brought something for you before I have to go.” His face suddenly went red as he pulled away completely from Izumi._

_Completely and utterly alone in this life except for Izumi, six year old Tsukasa loved and adored Izumi with all his heart._

_“I have something for you, too.” Izumi said in response, averting his eyes and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly._

_“Ah, you go first, then.” Tsukasa shuffled his feet and slipped his hand in his pocket to fiddle with the gift he had for Izumi and one that matched for himself._

_Izumi hesitated for just a moment before picking up the parcel and handing it over to Tsukasa. He kept his eyes averted, cheeks pink._

_Tsukasa took it, staring down at the parcel for a moment before gently tearing into the paper protecting the gift inside._

_Hidden within the paper was a neatly folded scarf, crudely knitted together in the pattern of a chess board, a small chess piece in the corner; a knight to be exact. The stitching was hesitant and uneven, as if Izumi had made it entirely on his own._

_“Sena-senpai…” Tsukasa mumbled, his big, violet eyes widening as tears threatened to spill over. “Sena-senpaiiiiiiii, I love you!” He flung himself at the taller boy, wrapping his arms around him as tightly as he could._

_“K-Kasa-kun! Quit that…!” Izumi didn’t mean it, of course. He loved Tsukasa just as much as Tsukasa loved him, and that was what made this even harder._

_Tsukasa leaned up on his toes and gave Izumi a sloppy kiss on his cheek. He pulled away from Izumi completely, face red, and reached around in his pockets for his parting gift._

_Hands hesitant and trembling, Tsukasa pulled out two silver rings, both entirely too big for either of their growing hands. “I...I heard you’re supposed to give rings to somebody you love, and I love you, and I wanna marry you when I come back home!”_

_He thrust one ring into Izumi’s hand and looked down at the ground, beet-red. He clearly didn’t understand what all of what he had said would entail, but he meant every word of it._

_“Wh…” Izumi couldn’t finish his sentence, speechless._

_Tsukasa shifted on his feet anxiously. “Ah...maybe...maybe I…”_

_Izumi interrupted him, “ah, no! Kasa-kun...of course I’ll marry you.” He mumbled the last part, unable to keep eye contact with him. “But you gotta come back safe and sound first.” He stuck out his lower lip in a faint pout. “Promise me you’ll come back safe and sound…” His voice dropped into a whisper, faint and trembling and full of a vulnerability he did not want to show._

_“Of course I’ll come back!” Tsukasa wrapped his arms around Izumi again tightly, pressing his face close. “I promise I’ll come back one day and marry you!”_

~

 

“Oi, Sena!” Izumi glanced over in the direction of the voice, narrowing his eyes.

“What is it? I’m busy.” He snapped, adjusting the leather gauntlet encircling his wrist. It had grown loose throughout the day and with the shape the fastenings were in, it would likely have to be replaced soon, along with the other. It wouldn’t be cheap, but leading the King’s Guard had its perks, and new armor and equipment was one of them.

“I heard that Suou’s returning home! Sakuma-senpai sent me to tell you! I dunno if he’s coming home alive or not, though. I heard there was massacre and there was only one survivor!” The newest recruit to the King’s Guard was enthusiastic, but not especially smart. He also had a tendency to run his mouth a little too much without first thinking about how it might sound.

“Of course, he’s alive!” Izumi snarled, a sudden jolt of terror running through him. Only one survivor?! Out of an entire army? The odds were incredibly slim that Tsukasa could have been the one that survived.

It had been fifteen years since he had seen Tsukasa last, on the day they had parted, and it had been four years since he had received a letter from him, though he had been sending letters almost every week.

Izumi spun around, fiddling with the silver ring that hadn’t left his ring finger since the day it could fit without immediately sliding off. “He can’t...he can’t be gone.” He muttered, desolation beginning to swallow him up as he tried and failed to deny the inevitable. “He promised.”

He stopped and spun around to face the recruit. “When is the survivor supposed to arrive?” His voice was cold and angry, and the recruit cowered under his sharp glare.

“T-two days from now…” He managed to mutter. Before Izumi could say anything more, the recruit turned and fled, making little noises that resembled the squeaking of a mouse.

Izumi let out a faint hiss and watched the recruit leave. Then he spun around and headed towards the east wing of the castle, where Sakuma Ritsu made his home. He was the one who had sent the recruit, and while he and Izumi were close, Izumi was not happy that he had chosen to deliver the message this way.

Hands clenched tightly into fists, Izumi made his way up to Ritsu’s chambers and knocked on the door so hard he was certain he would have bruises for the next several days. “Oi, Kuma-kun! Wake up and get your ass out here!”

For several moments, all was silent, as if Ritsu weren’t there or he was just ignoring Izumi.

Izumi raised his fist to bang on the door again, stopping when he heard faint shuffling from behind the door. He lowered his fist just as the door opened a crack.

“Hnn...what is it, Secchan?” Ritsu asked groggily, red eyes still half-lidded with sleep. “I’m trying to…” A giant yawn interrupted the middle of his sentence, but he went on anyway, as if he hadn’t yawned at all. “I’m trying to get some more sleep before the regent makes me do something dumb again…”

“Why didn’t you tell me yourself that you had heard from...from Kasa-kun?!” Izumi demanded, pushing the door open and storming into Ritsu’s chambers.

“For the same reason I just told you…” Ritsu heaved a sigh, seeming to realize that he wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep.

“Tell me everything! Where is he? Is he hurt? Kuma-kun, tell me now!” Izumi grabbed Ritsu by his shoulders and shook him.

“I would if you would stop shaking me!” Ritsu snapped, growing impatient.

Izumi stopped and crossed his arms to keep from repeating the action. “Tell me, now.”

Ritsu pulled Izumi farther into the room and closed the door with a soft click. “Sit down and I’ll explain.” He grumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

Izumi made a disgruntled noise, but plopped himself down in a chair next to Ritsu’s desk. He focused his attention on Ritsu, waiting for him to start talking, arms folded tightly over his chest. It was nearly impossible for him to contain the absolute unadulterated fear for Tsukasa.

“The regent received a letter from one of our messenger hawks last month, that the attack that we’ve been strategizing for months was foiled by twenty soldiers. Only two were confirmed knights, but even so, they managed to destroy the entirety of the forces we sent along ahead. I just found out this morning.” Ritsu plopped back down on his bed, burrowing under the blankets and cocooning himself like a caterpillar. He yawned, his long fangs showing just beneath his lip.

“Don’t go to sleep now! Tell me whatever you’re hiding! Is. He. Safe?” Izumi dug his teeth into his lip until he tasted blood.

“I don’t know, Secchan. All the letter said, apparently, is that he was supposed to be here two days ago at the latest. We haven’t heard from him since.” Ritsu yawned and burrowed deeper into his nest of bedding.

It was those words that made it impossible for Izumi to sit still. He had to find Tsukasa. “I’m going to bring him home.”

“You can’t go.” Ritsu peeked out from under his blankets, red eyes sharp and alert all of a sudden. “You can’t just go off on your own while our king is missing. He needs you here to watch over his kingdom for him.”

Izumi went still, reminded that his dear friend and king had gone missing four years ago. “Then what am I supposed to do? I can’t...I can’t just leave him.”

“Secchan, your kingdom needs you. The throne cannot be passed down to safe hands until the king returns or the crown is recovered, and it’s up to you to make certain that the regent is limited in his plans.” Ritsu paused for a moment, growing sleepy again. “This is a journey that Suou must make alone.”

It was an impossible choice, but Izumi knew that he must stay to protect the kingdom. There was nothing more he could do except trust that Tsukasa would return to him, safe and sound.

~

A warm spring wind whipped Tsukasa’s red hair around as he leaned forward over his galloping horse. His tattered cloak streamed out behind him like a sail on a turbulent sea.

“Soon...soon…” He muttered under his breath, as if he were trying to convince himself that he would make it back home.

He had stopped only when his horse needed rest, not wanting to be caught by any pursuers. It had been well over a month since he had fled the battle that had led to the deaths of the people he had trained with and served side by side with for the last fifteen years.

Needless to say, Tsukasa had hardly slept, and was running on nothing but sheer willpower. He wouldn’t let anything keep him from fulfilling his promise.

The day before, when he had stopped to clean himself up and rest for a while, he had been ambushed by a band of outlaws. While he had managed to take care of them on his own, it had not been without cost.

“Dammit...this on top of everything else!” Tsukasa tightened his grip on the reins, one arm held tightly against his ribs.

He narrowed his eyes as he spotted something in the distance, hardly daring to believe that he was seeing the tall spire that rose up from the castle he hadn’t seen for so long.

Hope rose up inside him, and for a moment he lost his focus. His grip on the reins loosened and he slid off the saddle, slick with blood he had dripped before being able to properly bandage his wounds.

Tsukasa crashed to the ground and rolled painfully down the steep hill they had just reached the top of. He crashed down into the bottom of a ditch, landing in a shallow pool of murky water.

For several moments, he just laid there, his breathing hoarse and ragged. Pain lanced through his shoulder, radiating down his spine to his hip. “No...not here. I’m not...not going to die here. I can’t die here…” 

Slowly, Tsukasa pushed himself up into a sitting position, a pained hiss escaping his bloodied lips. He slowly detached his sword from his belt and used it to help himself stand. The dull end of the scabbard sank into the mud, but it was enough to support him.

Tsukasa slowly began the climb up the hill, his free arm pressed tightly across his ribs. Each step was agonizing, and there was nothing he could do about the pain. He couldn’t even try to change the bandages covering the wounds he had received just the day before until he reached the top of the hill and caught up to his horse.

By the time he reached the top of the hill, he was barely able to stand. He leaned heavily against his sword and looked around for his horse, relieved to see that it hadn’t gone far.

The horse had stopped just a little ways away, near a stream that trickled into the shallow pool of water he had fallen into. It was, fortunately, not a long walk for him, but it was still straining enough.

Tsukasa drew in a deep breath and whistled sharply. He watched as the horse’s ears perked up. It trotted over, its breathing still labored from how long it had been running.

“It’s alright now. We’re almost there. Just a bit longer…” Tsukasa gently pushed his face against the horse’s nose. “We can go slow now, I won’t make you run anymore, sweetie. Please just let me rely on you a little longer.” He closed his eyes for a moment.

The horse let out a little neigh and nudged Tsukasa with her nose gently. It was enough to make him laugh, his voice hoarse and brittle.

“Thank you.” He whispered. “Rest for a moment.” Tsukasa pulled away slowly and limped around to the saddlebag that was barely hanging on to the saddle. It was a wonder that it hadn’t been torn off during the battle in the gorge or when he had been ambushed the day before.

As he rummaged through the saddlebag for bandages, he tried not to think about the hell he had just escaped, or the fact that he had lost every friend, except for one, in one fell swoop. He couldn’t even bring himself to blame the enemy forces for killing his friends; they had merely been defending their country from invaders, even though there had been so few of them to fight.

Tsukasa found the bandages he was looking for and paused for a moment, pondering the idea of just completely stitching his wounds together.

It would take more time and while he had the tools to do it himself, he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to keep going. If he just bandaged his wounds, it would be fine until he reached the castle as long as he was careful on his way there.

It was an easy decision. Tsukasa knew it would be better not to stall any longer than necessary, and so, he let himself sit down for a moment, and slowly unlatched his practically useless leather chest plate. It had served its purpose well while it was still functional and had saved him from many potentially fatal blows, but now it was worn so far down that it hardly had enough material intact to actually be useful to protect him in any way.

Slowly, Tsukasa lifted his torn and bloodied shirt up enough so that he could work. He carefully unwound the dirty bandages around his wounds and tossed them to the side.

The wounds were deep; in the shape of three long, jagged claw marks. They were not the worst he had received the day before, but they would be the easiest ones to deal with first.

With shaking hands, he wiped away the fresh blood and made certain there was no extra dirt or anything else in the wounds. He didn’t have the resources to properly clean them at the moment, and he was almost certain that using the murky water from the the stream would almost guarantee an infection.

Tsukasa bit his lip, a faint noise of pain escaping as he tightly wound the bandages around the wounds, ignoring the fresh blood that began to seep through them. It would be enough to keep him from bleeding out before he reached the castle.

When he was done with that, he moved on to the more minor wounds, slowly patching himself together. At this point, he was becoming numb to the pain. He had been hurting for so long that he hardly knew what it was like to not be in pain anymore.

After he finished wrapping up his minor wounds, he moved on to the most serious one. He slowly slipped his sleeve down over his shoulder and slowly undid the tightly wound bandages. It was bad, he knew, but there was only so much he could do about it right now.

The wound went all the way through his shoulder, as though someone had shoved their sword right through his shoulder and twisted it, and though it had not yet become infected, the wound itself would be enough to kill him if it wasn’t properly treated soon.

As it was now, he had limited movement in his left arm and it had become impossible for him to use his bow.

A small sigh escaped his lips as he slowly began to wrap the wound with fresh bandages. Pain lanced through him like fire, and for a moment it almost seemed easier to just give up and let himself die.

A sharp shake of his head and thoughts of seeing Izumi again cleared his mind of those thoughts. It was the reason he had held on this long for. He had made a promise, and he didn’t want to break it.

He had waited so long to see Izumi again, and he didn’t want to waste this chance. No, he couldn’t waste this chance.

Pausing to glance down at the silver ring on his finger, he let out a small sigh. It was a reminder of the promise he had made, and a motivator.

With a pained noise, Tsukasa dragged himself to his feet slowly and stuck one foot in the stirrup of the saddle. He pulled himself up onto the saddle and took a moment to adjust himself. He rubbed at the mud and blood drying onto his face and hoped Izumi would recognize him when they finally met again.

Tsukasa slowly took the reins in both hands and gently dug his heel into the horse’s side to get her moving. “Take it slow. We can rest soon.”

The horse broke into a ginger trot, clearly struggling with the strain of having so little rest in the last month. Her ears perked up faintly, however, when Tsukasa began to stroke his gloved hand across her head to soothe her.

By the time the sun was setting, they were nearly at the town walls, and a hill had come into view, topped with a tree just gaining its new leaves.

Tsukasa changed course, going for the hill instead of the town walls. It was the place he had promised Izumi that he made his promise to Izumi, and he couldn’t help but want to see it once more before seeing Izumi again.

The tree had grown significantly since the last time Tsukasa had seen it, but it was still the very same tree under which he had told Izumi goodbye fifteen years ago.

For a moment, his heart grew lighter as he remembered everything he had left behind; everything he had come home to. A small smile spread across, tired and sad, but hopeful.

Tsukasa slipped off the horse once they had reached the tree, landing awkwardly and nearly falling as his legs buckled. He grabbed a branch to support himself, and glanced around. It seemed that he would not be able to get back on the horse, or continue any farther on foot.

Was this it? After he had made it so far, was he destined to die so close to home? It was fitting, he supposed, to die beneath the tree where he had made his most important memories. As much as he wished to see Izumi before he died, he didn’t want him to see him like this.

Slowly, Tsukasa lowered himself to the ground and leaned up against the tree. He let out a soft sigh, closing his violet eyes. He wanted so desperately to rest, but he could not bring himself to do so until he had seen Izumi. His eyes fluttered open and he stared blankly at the slowly rising moon.

~

It wasn’t unlike Izumi to take walks outside the castle when the moon had risen high into the sky, but it was rare of him to leave the safety of the town walls so late at night. He was restless and unable to sleep, and he had found in recent years that being near the tree on top of the hill brought him a solace no other place seemed able to replicate.

It was one of those nights when Izumi needed that solace. Nearing his breaking point, Izumi sought answers he couldn’t find anywhere else. Even if he didn’t find the answers he was looking for, his heart would be soothed by the knowledge that when everything faded away, even himself, that tree would still be standing long after, carrying the promise he had made with Tsukasa far into the future.

Izumi slipped past the guards on each side of the gate, refusing to make eye contact when they stared at him. He knew they reported his every movement back to regent, but he would not be intimidated those so unskilled that they couldn’t even make it into the King’s Guard.

He exhaled softly the moment he was past the gates and began the trek over to the hill. It wasn’t far at all, only a few minutes walk.

It became apparent, however, that the tree on the hill was already occupied. A tall horse stood close against it, looking as if its owner had not taken very good care of it. He could barely make out an eerily familiar crest latched onto the its bridle.

Izumi narrowed his eyes to try to make out the details on the crest, his heart chilling when he realized it was the same one he had on the clasp of his cloak.

It was one of their own, but why would anyone that rode under their rule allow their horse to get into such bad shape? It was frowned upon to push their horses to the limit that this one had been pushed to.

“Oi, where’s your rider?” Izumi asked the horse, his voice unusually gently. He hadn’t even considered that it might be Tsukasa, suspicious that this may be an ambush to catch him unawares. His suspicions faded the moment he stepped past the horse, however. 

Leaned up against the tree, rested a man with familiar red hair. He had lost the chubby cheeks he had as a child, but the way he leaned against the tree, almost curled in a ball, was exactly the same as it had been fifteen years ago when he was hurting. His violet eyes were closed, and his breathing was quick and shallow, but he was alive.

“Tsukasa…?” Izumi’s eyes widened, noticing the blood darkening his clothes.

“Nn…” A soft groan escaped his bloodied lips and his eyes opened, dull with exhaustion. His gaze slowly shifted up towards Izumi, and at first it seemed as if he didn’t recognize him. Then his violet eyes shot wide open. “I...Izu…” His voice cracked painfully. “Izumi…?”

For a moment, Izumi couldn’t move. It had never occurred to him that he would have no idea what to say after so long apart. Fifteen years! And even though they had exchanged letters up until four years ago, it had not prepared him for the day they would meet again.

After shaking off his initial shock, Tsukasa didn’t seem to have the same problem. He struggled to his feet, using the tree to support himself, and flung his arms tightly around Izumi. A strangled cry barely escaped his lips as he overexerted himself, but he didn’t care about the pain anymore. He couldn’t stop the tears that he had been holding in for so long, and he began to sob.

Izumi caught him, wrapping his arms around him tightly. He placed one hand on the back of Tsukasa’s head, holding him close, and ran his fingers through his still damp hair. “Kasa-kun.” He whispered, suddenly knowing what to do. “You’re okay. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

“S-Sena-senpai!” Tsukasa cried, burying his face against Izumi’s shoulder. He had forced himself to be strong for so long, but he just couldn’t do it anymore. Everything he had been feeling surged up all at once, overwhelming him.

“Shh...it’s alright now.” Izumi tightened his grip around him, nearly in tears as well. He immediately loosened his grip when Tsukasa cried out. “I’m sorry.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Izumi pulled away from Tsukasa to look at him more closely, only to find that the only thing keeping Tsukasa standing had been his support. He caught him the moment his legs buckled, lifting him gently into his arms. He hadn’t realized how terrible Tsukasa’s condition was until then, and his fear grew momentarily.

“S-Sena...senpai…” Tsukasa’s exhaustion began to overwhelm him again, and his eyes fluttered shut. “I’m sorry...I’m sorry I’m...late…”

“Kasa-kun...I don’t care about that. I’m just glad you’re home.” Izumi whispered, slowly making his way down the hill towards the town gates. He shifted Tsukasa in his arms just slightly, trying to make him more comfortable.

“I...I’m glad to be home.”

~

Izumi sat quietly next to Tsukasa’s bed, staring out the window blankly. It had been three days since he had brought Tsukasa to the castle infirmary. Tsukasa hadn’t woken since his exhaustion had had overcome him, and while Izumi was worried, the healers had told him that he would be alright.

He hadn’t really slept at all since he had brought Tsukasa back, scared that he would wake up and find that his return had just been a dream, or even worse possibilities.

“Mm…” A faint groan drew Izumi’s attention to Tsukasa, and he found that Tsukasa was slowly opening his eyes.

“Kasa-kun?” Izumi whispered, leaning close over his bed. He reached over gently and rested his hand against Tsukasa’s bruised face.

“Wha…” Tsukasa slowly looked over at Izumi, his violet eyes still drowsy with sleep. “Sena-senpai…”

Izumi couldn’t help but lie down on the bed beside Tsukasa so that he could be closer. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He slowly reached and took Tsukasa’s hands in his own.

There was a quiet clack as their rings bumped together, and they both glanced down at their linked hands.

“You...kept it.” Tsukasa whispered, studying Izumi’s tired face as if he were trying to commit it to memory. “You kept the ring.”

“Of course, I did. You asked me a long time ago to marry you, and…” Izumi averted his eyes, face beginning to go red. “And I...said I would.” His voice grew softer as his embarrassment grew. “I haven’t forgotten.”

“I haven’t, either.” Tsukasa paused for a moment. “And I...still want to marry you.” He whispered. “But first...I want to get used to this again. I want...to get used to being with you again.”

Izumi nodded, his gaze flicking back to Tsukasa. “Of course.” He replied softly. “We have all the time in the world now.”

Tsukasa met Izumi’s gaze, and a faint, tired smile grew on his face. “I want to spend all of it with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed!


End file.
